Ever wondered what the Xbox controller could have looked like in an alternate reality? One author of the original Xbox pitch has shed light on exactly that by sharing preliminary designs that didn't cut it.

Seamus Blackley, former game designer and physics expert, was heavily involved in the proposal that eventually became Microsoft's gaming console. He tweeted a series of pictures showing gamepads of weird and wonderful shapes, some of which don't look too comfortable.

You can see the influence of '90s controllers like the Dreamcast and Nintendo 64 on the assorted silhouettes, some of which look to defy the laws of ergonomics in favour of space-age contours. What the Xbox eventually ended up with looks most akin to the fourth image which features two, large, slightly curved wings.

The designs of the DualShock controller and Xbox gamepad have remained largely static over the past ten years, with very little by way of innovation. By means of compensation Nintendo has been flipping between controllers as if each and every one was a ticking bomb.

One thing is certain, however; the advent of virtual reality will soon force all three companies to reimagine their input devices once more. We're looking forward to the strange, pretentiously monstrous designs that may follow.